Family has a different definition for everyone. It could be many different things to a many different types of people. But, we all have something in common. We all have a family. With that said, the holiday season presents an opportunity to capture photos of not just my family smiling, posing voluntarily in front of a camera lens. But candid moments of my family interacting, sharing, and being together. In most of these photos, my family is telling stories of the past and hopes for the future. As I photograph, I listen to these stories. These are still moments of my grandfather telling stories dating back 50 years. These stories I crave to hear. My grandfather's stories matters. My little cousin's stories matter. My mother's stories matter. My family's stories matter. I think we can honor our loved ones by listening to their stories. As we are in a time of division, stories help us find a common ground. They are authentic and pure. They are the common denominator of life.
Conversations, interviewing, and photographing gives me the license to learn about my family in ways that may have otherwise be forgotten. No story, no person is worth being forgotten. Time spent will family allows such stories to take place. It creates a dialogue and a cycle of remembrance.
Don't wait any longer. Don't wait for the holiday season. Create photos that represent who your family members are as human beings. Just as these photos will exist long after my family is gone, so will there stories. They will be preserved forever.
